


Saying Goodbye

by CobaltxAmethyst



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-24 06:14:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10735809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CobaltxAmethyst/pseuds/CobaltxAmethyst
Summary: Duo must say goodbye to an important person in his life. Minor character death.





	Saying Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

  * For [duointherain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/duointherain/gifts).



Saying Goodbye

A Gundam Wing one shot. I do not own GW or make any money from writing this.

I watched as Duo approached the urn that held the ashes of the man that had always treated him like a, well, not son. Maybe a precocious grandson? Favorite nephew? It had been a rough few months. It had all started with just three words.  
"Kid, I'm dying."

It had thrown my beloved into a hell of a flashback. Back to that cold alley so many years ago when he had held his gang leader, Solo, as he slowly succumb to the plague. Duo had run from the hospital not able to cope with the fact that yet one more person he'd dared to love was going to die. The fact that Howard was an old man didn't matter to him. Despite the fact I was right on his heels, Duo managed to disappear. I cursed, not for the first time, his street rat past that made it possible. For the first time in many years I had not a clue where to look for him because it was usually Howard he ran to when he was overly upset. Yet, I still looked for him. I called everyone in the unlikely case he would turn up at one of their places. Duo might seem like he wore his emotions and heart on his sleeve, trusted easily, but it was an act. One I almost hadn't seen through in time.  
After hours if combing the streets, and no word from the others, I went home. I found him holed up in our closet, clutching the hideous Hawaiian shirt Howard had given him as a gag gift, trying to quietly cry.   
" 'Ya learned real fast never make took much noise on the street," he had told me once after I had berated him for not telling me he was injuried on a mission, "Ta show any kind of weakness made 'ya prey real quick."  
I sat down, and closed the closet door before pulling him onto my lap tucking his head under my chin.  
"Go on," I encouraged, "I've got your back. You're safe. Let go."  
I could count the number of times on one hand, and have fingers left over, that I witnessed Duo sob like he did that day.  
The diagnosis was chronic heart failure due to cardiomyopathy. The peracardium around Howard's heart was filling with fluid. There could be things done to make him more comfortable, like putting a drain in to releave the pressure, but it was a terminal condition. I took an indeterminate leave of absence from the Preventers. Duo had his own business as a lock smith: Maxwell's Madhouse: You click it, we pick it. He could set his own schedule as well as having a couple of employees that could handle things if he couldn't be there. Lawyers provided by Quatre helped with what seemed like never ending paper work. Power of attorney, last will and testament, living will, life insurance, final arrangements. All the money Duo gave Quatre as payment for his lawyers' services were quietly invested Duo's Winner stock portfolio that funded the many orphanages Duo was involved in. Quatre had learned the hard way when he had tried to give Duo the money to start his lock smith shop.  
"I ain't no charity case Quat. I asked for a loan. I will pay you back, every cent, with interest, just like anyone else."  
When Howard complained of being in the hospital by saying, "I ain't dead yet!"   
He was informed that they could not release him to in home hospice without a proper place of residence. A requirement that none of the Sweepers hangers would qualify as. That night, as Duo and I lay tangled together after an intense bout of making love, Duo hesitantly asked if Howard could stay with us. The next day the arrangements were made to deliver everything that was needed to turn our downstairs, spare bedroom into a hospice room, as well as arrange for a visiting nurse. Baka should have known by then I couldn't deny him anything.   
Things quickly settled into a routine. Duo would leave in the morning for his business, come home for lunch, and be home in time for dinner. Once or twice a week he would be the one on call overnight for emergencies, but was told if he couldn't take the call to contact the next person on the list. I did some light work at home at Une's request just to keep me busy.   
"You're going to take care of the Kid when I'm gone, right?" Howard asked me one morning as I was clearing his breakfast dishes.  
"Of course. I learned my lesson. He will want for nothing."  
I shuddered to think of how I almost lost Duo. It had taken an argument over why I had hit him instead of just taking the two minutes to explain what I had planned during the Mariamara uprising. Why hadn't I trusted him? He had disappeared for weeks. I didn't understand until Howard had called, and, as Duo would say, rip me a new one.  
"Good. Don't make me have to come haunt you to kick your ass."  
There were good days, and bad days. Our fellow pilots visited often to help. Quatre and Trowa would come with food, or a movie for us to watch. Wufei would come with them, more often then not, bringing medicial tea that he thought would help. At least once a week one of them would sit with Howard so I could take Duo out on a date to get him out of the house, and away from his work if only for a little while. Slowly, the bad days out numbered the good ones. One night, which would turn out to be the last night, I woke to hear voices. I crept downstairs to see Duo sitting next to Howard, supporting his now frail body.   
"Sorry Kid," I heard him rasp out, "sorry I'm puttin' ya through this."  
"How many times did 'you help me when G pushed me? How many times did you get him to lay off, if only for a bit? Made sure I had some time to act like the child I never really was? How many times did you save my sorry ass during the war? Consider this pay back old man."  
"Luv 'ya Kid."  
"Yeah, Howie, luv 'ya too."

I stepped up behind Duo being sure to let him know I was there.  
"You ok koi?" I asked softly enough so only he could hear me.  
I didn't touch him, as much as I wanted to. Another lesson from the street. You didn't show how important, or valuable, something was to you if you wanted to keep it. There was always someone bigger, stronger, or played dirtier than you that would take it away. So it surprised me when Duo reached to tangle his fingers in mine gentally pulling until I stood beside him. Tear filled amethyst eyes looked at me.  
"I will be, eventually." Duo's eyes swept the room. It was packed with Sweepers, clients, and other people who had known Howard, Howie, the old man. "At least I'm not alone this time."  
"No, you are not," I replied while waving our fellow former pilots over to join me, "You haven't been alone in a long time my love."  
Duo surprised us by give us all a hug.  
"Thanks guys, for everything. Now let's go give the old man a send off he'd be proud of!"


End file.
